Jamaican nettletree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jamaican nettletree |
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| In Brasília | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Trema
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| Species: |
micrantha
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Trema micrantha, also known as the Jamaican nettletree or capulin, is a type of plant that grows in warm parts of the Western Hemisphere. You can find it in many countries, including Mexico, Central America, Bolivia, Argentina, and even in southern Florida in the United States. It's a common plant in these tropical and subtropical regions.
What Does Trema micrantha Look Like?
Trema micrantha can grow as a large shrub or a small tree. It can reach up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall.
Its leaves are shaped like an egg and can be up to 9 centimeters (about 3.5 inches) long. The top side of the leaves is green. But if you look underneath, they are covered with soft, white, woolly hairs.
The flowers of this plant are small and greenish-white. When the plant produces fruit, they are small and round, about 4 millimeters (less than half an inch) across. These fruits can be yellow or a bright reddish-orange color.
How People Use Trema micrantha
In a place called San Pablito, Mexico, there's a group of people called the Otomi. They have a special way of making handmade paper called amate.
For a long time, they used bark from another tree called xalama. But that tree became harder to find. Now, the Otomi people use strips of bark from Trema micrantha to make their traditional amate paper. This shows how useful this plant can be!
See also
In Spanish: Trema micrantha para niños
